A father broke down in tears yesterday as he told how his " lively and loving" son drowned after falling into a Spanish swimming pool.

Two-year-old Jake Teal, from Birmingham, was found in the pool outside the family home in a residential complex on the Costa Blanca.

He and mother Sue, aged 48, father Jeremy, aged 45, and nine-year-old brother Andrew moved to Benissa, near Alicante, at Christmas.

Mr Teal, an electrician, was in Birmingham working when the accident happened. When he was phoned and told of the death he flew back to comfort his wife, who has not spoken since her son's death.

Speaking from Spain, Mr Teal said: "Sue left Jake and Andrew upstairs playing while she made tea. Jake had sneaked out and she only realised he wasn't there when Andrew came down and asked 'where's Jake?'

"She rushed outside and saw him floating in the pool. Sue pulled him out and starting giving him CPR, she got a lot of water out of his lungs and was screaming for help."

Neighbours rang an ambulance.

"But they decided not to wait so a neighbour put him in his car and took him to the hospital, only six minutes away, while Sue carried on giving him CPR," he said.

Mr Teal broke down as he described how doctors pronounced Jake dead.

The family used to live in Fallowfield Avenue in Hall Green and it is a second marriage for both.

Mrs Teal had three grown-up children from her first marriage who live in Birmingham.

The couple left for Spain after Mrs Teal's daughter had a baby but Mr Teal stayed after his business took off.

Mrs Teal's eldest son, Adam Hopkins, is in Spain to comfort his mother.

He said his mother and Mr Teal had been married eight years and had moved to Spain for a fresh start.

He said: "Mum's in pieces, she isn't talking to anyone. Everybody's in shock over here and just can't believe it."

He told how his mother and step-father decided to move to Spain after talking to friends.

"They did lots of research and came over nearly every week for two to three weeks before they found this property," he said.

A spokesman for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said the family were being supported by Consular officials.

She said: "We are aware of the the death of a British minor in a swimming pool accident on Wednesday in Benissa, Alicante.